Opposites Attract
by Monster Mads
Summary: Train is sick, and Eve is stuck with the task of nursing him back to health. TrainxEve


If you like it, prove it and _review!_

- - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - -

He'd been acting sort of strangely all day.

Of course, Eve had grown to expect constant napping from Train, but this was a little more bizarre than his typically abnormal behavior. As usual, Train rolled out of bed at eleven-thirty a.m., trudged into the living room, and immediately crashed on the couch.

Eve had noted this action, but hadn't thought much of it at the time. Maybe he was more tired than usual? She blinked at his dozing form, shrugged it off and then moved into the kitchen to make some cereal. Normally it was Sven who made breakfast, but the green-haired man had gone out earlier that morning to do some sweeping. Nothing too difficult, just someone easy enough to turn in for money to last the next couple of days or so.

The next strange thing was even when the clock came to hit one-thirty in the afternoon, Train still wouldn't get up. Eve thought about this, mulling it over when the book she was reading hit a boring part, and that's when she realized it.

He hadn't even had any milk today.

Normally the Black Cat was known to wake up at around noon, grab some milk, and then annoy her until the day was. The cycle repeated, and life went on. Things had started off strange by these standards alone, but even if he _did_ plan on going back to sleep after getting up, he would have never skipped the ritual of chugging a bottle of milk so carelessly. Something was wrong.

Pulling herself up out of the chair she was in, Eve headed over to the fridge, pulling out a large glass container and making her way to the couch. She leaned over the back of it, offering the bottle to Train.

"Hey," she roused, "want some milk?"

"'M not thirsty," he mumbled back, turning over.

Bright fuchsia eyes widened. _Not thirsty? _As far as she knew, that had never been an issue before. Train never refused a glass of milk, and she'd gotten up to bring it straight to him. What was going on?

Peering down, Eve took a closer look at the tired being on the couch. Now that she was concentrating on it, it was clear he looked a little paler than usual, even while his cheeks were flushed. She also found that he was slightly trembling. Barely noticeable, but there all the same.

"Train," she began, "are you sick?"

He lifted his hand and waved her off, making no further confirmations. She felt a tick go off on the side of her head.

"Are you?" She repeated.

"No." He told her, but before he could stop her, Eve's hand had come down on his forehead, flinching back at the heat radiating off the skin less than a second later.

"You're burning up!" She stated, heading into the other room to grab another blanket and returning moments later. "How can you sit there and tell me you're not sick?"

"I _don't _get sick." He shot back weakly, the shivering increasing a little. It was clear he wasn't going to get better in the next couple of minutes. Eve tsked, placing the blanket over the curled up form and trying to get a better look at him in such a feeble state. It didn't happen often enough, so as his rival, she'd be sure she would've felt a pinch of satisfaction upon finding that for one day in her life she had the upper hand.

But when she took in the messy hair, the feverish appearance, and the exhausted expression, she felt nothing but concern for him. After seeing him every day for the past couple of years, he'd become a sort of constant in Eve's life, cocky and obtrusive, kicking down doors and drinking milk. To see him curled in a ball on their couch for reasons other than overeating was not something she'd ever experienced before, and it felt… strange. Uncomfortable. She decided that no, she didn't like it one bit.

"Do you need anything?" She asked him. He shook his head.

"I just… didn't get enough sleep, that's all. I'm fine," he assured pointlessly, mostly out of habit. With another annoyed look at the dark-haired man, she turned tail and fled to the kitchen where she filled up a glass of cold water and pulled from the cupboard above the sink a small bottle of Advil. It wouldn't hurt to get some relief, she was sure.

Turning back, she arrived by his side again. He seemed to be getting weaker and weaker by the second, breathing shallowly while a thin sheen of sweat covered his features. Kneeling down, she placed the tiny pill in his limp hand, closing his fingers around it before handing him the glass.

"Take this; it'll make you feel better."

"But I'm not sick!" He insisted feebly.

"Then it'll give you an energy boost!" She pushed on, his stubborn attitude wearing on her patience. He gave in, opening the amber eyes to look at the pill distrustfully.

"Just take it, don't be such a wimp." Eve provoked, standing up. He glared at her, tossing back his head and swallowing the pill before gagging. She rolled her eyes.

"Ugh, that was horrible," he spat, flopping down on the couch once more. She looked at him critically, sweeping her short blonde hair behind her disdainfully.

"Could've been worse, Train," she said, "at least I didn't give you the liquid stuff. Any normal person can take three of those at a time, no water." She gestured towards him, indicating the pill. He groaned, turning over, and once again faced with his severe state of being, worry entered once again.

"What's wrong with you?" She murmured, biting her thumb.

"Nothing!" He threw over his shoulder, and after a few minutes he was unconscious again, labored breathing coming in quiet rasps. Eve turned to the bookshelf in the corner, pulling out a huge book labeled "Encyclopedia of Ailments A-Z" before beginning to flip over it, scanning each page and memorizing what the words meant. Another perk of nano technology – heighted intelligence. The day she'd had the procedure performed on her, Eve gained a photographic memory exceeding even that of Train's.

After an hour of searching, Eve finally came upon something that seemed to fit the pieces to a T. Squinting at the name, she mumbled, "… Acute viral rhinopharyngitis."

With the small articles explaining nothing more than symptoms, explanations and treatments, Eve read over the next three words, her breath hitching.

_No known cure._

Panic sprung into Eve's throat. Did that mean he was going to die? Or would he have to be sick like this forever? No known cure meant that Train would… Train would…!

It couldn't happen. She wouldn't let it!

Rushing to his side, Eve kneeled once more, placing both hands on the couch cushion and staring desperately into Train's face, who'd repositioned himself at some point during the hour of studying. Sensing the close watch, one bleary eye opened and began to focus on Eve's face, taking in the close proximity.

"… Eve? Whoa, what's wrong?"

Tears had begun to well up in her eyes, and she shook her head, launching herself into his arms with a sob. The bewildered sweeper held the girl in wonder, overwhelmed by this turn of events, and he slowly snaked one arm around her waist, the other one beginning to stroke the top of her head.

"… Hey, Princess, its okay, calm down… what happened?" He asked again. She said a whole bunch of things in an onslaught of words he couldn't catch, clutching at the fabric of his shirt as if she thought he'd just disappear right there on the spot. Maybe she'd fallen asleep and had a bad dream? Or she'd read a scary book?

No, Eve wasn't the type to get emotional about either of those things. She'd read plenty of scary stories as well as heard some told by Train himself (with only a select few actually being true), and with her past, there was no doubt the blonde had had nightmares before. He was a grown man and he still got them, so why wouldn't a young girl like her? The point was, she'd never said anything before, which left her reasoning's right now wide open.

After a minute of straight crying, Eve's eyes lifted up to meet him own, filled with regret and fear and sorrow. What the hell could have happened to do _this _to her? Had something happened to Sven?

"Princess, please stop crying," he begged, and she gave a quiet hiccup in response, sniffling adorably. He pulled her up so that she was sitting beside him rather than half sprawled on his lap, but she still wouldn't let go of the fabric of his shirt. If she hadn't been so upset, no doubt the Black Cat would've found this unbearably amusing.

"What happened?" He asked her in concern. She blinked up at him, trying to keep herself from bursting into tears for a second time until finally she whispered,

"You're going to die."

He gave her a surprised look, taken aback by such a response.

"Care to repeat that?" He inquired, laughing in spite of himself. She glared at him, repeating,

"You've got acute viral rhinopharyngitis, Train. There's no cure. I looked it up in the book, and it has all your symptoms, and, and…!"

She was close to tears once again, so Train pulled her forward in a hug, hurriedly telling her,

"Princess, you've got it all wrong! There's no cure, but it goes away fine just on its own." Eve stopped breathing, slowly drawing her head up from where it was nestled in his shoulder to stare up at him in astonishment.

"… _eh?!_"

Train grinned at her, bright, reassuring and totally naïve. It was so… _Train._

"Princess… Acute viral rhinopharyngitis…"

She swallowed, wide magenta eyes barely concealing hope.

"… is also known as the common cold."

Her jaw dropped. She'd gotten so upset, completely embarrassed herself in front of him, and spent a straight hour searching for something so obvious Train was able to figure it out before she was. Completely humiliated at the realization that'd dawned on her seconds earlier, the teenage girl leapt out of his arms, startling him, and stumbled back until she had put a couple feet's distance between them. An impressive blush colored her pale cheeks, matching her eyes as she stammered out an explanation for her behavior.

"W-well, it wasn't like I was _really_ worried!" She insisted, silently seething, "After all, it's like you said, you're not even sick!"

And then the temperamental blonde stormed from the room. Train's grin slowly slid off his face as he remembered just why she had gotten mad in the first place, so it came as no surprise to him when his strength ran out and he broke into harsh coughing, collapsing back onto the couch and panting tiredly. He'd appreciated the Princess' help, even if he hadn't really said anything, so having her mad at him wasn't such a good thing at this time.

Eve, who was no more than a couple rooms away and sitting on her bed fuming, had heard the coughing in the living room, and felt a pang of worry despite now knowing what was wrong with him. Still, if there was one thing the blonde was known for, it was her stubbornness, and pride won her over for the time being. She stayed put, arms wrapped around her knees, angry gaze directed at the floor.

A half an hour passed, with the occasional coughs coming from the other room. All the while, Eve was stuck with her thoughts fixated on Train. She wondered what he was thinking about while he occupied her every idea – milk? Food? Sweeping? She couldn't even begin to guess.

But even as the minutes continued to tick on, with Eve still deep in thought, she couldn't help but decide that she'd been a little too hasty back there. Embarrassment drives people to make fools of themselves, and she'd certainly proved that… maybe she should go and apologize.

A stirring from the other room caused her to look up from her brooding, concentrating on the sound. Footsteps, the sound of a misstep, a thud, followed by a groan – _stupid Train,_ she thought with an inward groan.

Getting up off the bed, she tried to open the handle as quietly as possible, peering through the crack only to find a shaky Train leaning against the cupboard, his forehead resting on the cabinet door as he panted, struggling to stand.

How was she supposed to just stand there like that when he looked so pitiful, anyway? It wasn't fair.

Reigning in her ego, Eve stepped forward, walking toward the brunette while taking in his appearance. He looked worse than he did an hour ago. Lifting his head, he fixed his gold stare on her, and then attempted a weak smile.

"Knew you couldn't keep away," he commented off-handedly, trying to sound casual and accomplishing next to nothing. She scowled, leading him away from the kitchen and into his room, which was messy and littered with empty milk bottles here and there. The sheets of his bed were sprawled out across the mattress and floor, contrasting greatly if you compared it to her perfectly made one, and she realized that their rooms were complete, polar opposites – much like their personalities.

She shoved him in the direction of the bed, watching as he floundered for a second before falling onto the comfortable mass. Looking up at her, he gave her a curios look.

"Princess?" He said. She tried to give him a fierce expression in turn, but instead she found herself frowning, eyebrows knitting together in anxiety. He needed sleep more than anything, and hours on that couch would do nothing for his condition.

Eve grabbed the blanket at the end of his bed, pulling it over him without allowing him any time to protest. When she was finished, the Black Cat was neatly tucked under a soft sheet and comforter, sending her an incredulous with his fingers curled around the edges of the blanket by his face.

"What the hell?" He asked bluntly, confused at her change of attitude. He was grateful, she could tell by the way he said those three words, even if they were crude – that was just the way Train spoke. He'd say something completely different from what he meant and, somehow, you always knew was he meant.

Or maybe that was just her.

Grunting, she explained quietly, "The sooner you're better, the sooner you can help Sven in paying off our debts. Don't think just because you're sick you can lounge around the house forever!"

Train stared at her. "But I'm not s–"

"Give it a rest already."

She exited the room, pushing her way into the kitchen and pulling out a cloth from one of the drawers. She could hear more coughing from his bedroom, but she ignored it, waiting until the cloth was soaked in cold water before ringing it out and appearing back in his bedroom.

He'd given up on the idea of sitting up and instead sat half-lying down and half slumped against the pillows of his bed. He had tons of them – easily twice the amount Sven and Eve had put together – but now he was blinking up at her from the middle of them, and she decided he probably put them to better use than they did. Cats always were big on comfort, after all.

She turned off the light so that only the faint gold hue of the lamp in the corner remained, and then fell to her knees, reaching across the bed and placing the cold cloth on his forehead. He winced at the sudden temperature, but despite his discomfort, he smiled.

"Hey… thanks for all this, Princess."

She stayed silent.

After a minute Train had crashed once again, face looking troubled while he slowly began to recover. She didn't know how or when it happened, but at some point she'd fallen asleep by his side, their faces so close they could almost touch. Sven didn't return until late, so he went to bed without bothering to check for them, his snoring resuming from the other room.

When the sun came up, Eve slowly blinked open her eyes to find herself half covered a warm dark blue blanket, her body relaxed and refreshed. She'd had calm dreams, no crazed gunmen, no insane scientists, and no evil rich benefactors. Just her and some guy, hanging out on a rooftop and enjoying the night sky. She couldn't remember who it was, though.

Sighing softly, she snuggled into the soft bedspread, her arms wrapped around something warm that fit perfectly in her hands. Curled up in a cluster of cozy plush pillows, she let her mind wander off, trying to remember if anything interesting had happened in the past couple of days. What city were they in right now? Oh yes, they'd returned home for the next couple of weeks…

A quiet rustle to her right alerted her of movement in the bed, and her guard began to sneak up as she regained her senses. Finally opening her eyes and going by something other than feel, Eve found herself staring up at an off-white ceiling… different from her own light green one.

Where was she?

Pushing herself so that she'd begun to sit up, the blonde discovered she was quite unable to. Whatever she'd been holding on to had suddenly tightened its hold on her, keeping her in place. And then Eve's bright pink eyes turned to look over at the other side of the mysterious bed, finding in place of where normally a simple arrangement of stuffies sat, a dark-haired, amber-eyed former assassin slept on, unawares to her staring.

She'd fallen asleep… on Train's bed?

She began with a half-hearted struggle, but his grasp held firm, even repositioning so that she was closer to him, her face inches from his own, dark brown strands falling from the mess of hair atop his head and tickling her nose. Her wide eyes fixated on his perfectly relaxed ones, devoid of any strain or distress, and Eve was relieved to see he looked much better than yesterday, temporarily stalling from the realization of her situation that would be sure to send her into a blushing oblivion.

That prediction came true about three seconds later, followed by Eve once again trying to squirm out from underneath him, only to be pulled further closer so that she was half on top of him, held no differently from the way a six year old might hold a teddy bear.

_How am I supposed to escape this? _Came Eve's panicked thoughts; her heart beating erratically in her chest, _Train is so evil!_

She tried and failed to come up with an escape plan, attempting to keep herself from allowing his handsome features to draw her attention yet again, and failing in more than one instance. She heard the little voice in the back of her head whisper _this is wrong, _and could almost imagine the miniature angel-Eve sitting on her shoulder. This was, of course, followed naturally by a tiny devil-Eve goading her on with _if you can't evade it, just go back to sleep. We both know you're enjoying this, despite the embarrassing nature of the predicament._

Her devil-Eve sounded a little too sophisticated, so she dumbed it down to _so he wants to cuddle, huh? Two can play at that game._

Her arms slowly moved up to wrap around his neck, letting her breathing stabilize in that moment so that she wouldn't wake him up. Heart still beating a little too quickly, she slowly drifted off with a ghost of a smile on her face, thinking all the while,

_I'm snuggling with the deadliest assassin on earth._

The thought only made her pull him closer.

* * *

----------------

Sven's orange eyes slowly began to blink open, taking in the light from the window and scowling at the intrusive awakening. Glancing over at the clock, he read nine-thirty a.m. – no doubt Eve would be awake by now. She'd always been a morning person… and a night person… and a day person. Eve was just calm all-around, the complete opposite of his hyperactive partner, despite his rare displays of maturity. It was hard to believe he used to be so competent as a killer when nowadays he wouldn't even pull his gun on a lowly security guard if he could help it.

Yawning, the sweeper pulling himself to his feet, dragging the warm blanket off his bed and around his shoulders like a cape, trudging into the living room to make breakfast. Yet when he looked over to the kitchen, he found that Eve was neither here nor there – puzzling circumstances. She was usually awake and alert by eight a.m.

Moving to her bedroom, he opened the door as quietly as he could, wincing when it creaked obnoxiously. The lights were off, but the neatly made bed showed no signs of being slept in recently, so Sven's fraternal instincts kicked in, and he immediately knocked on the bathroom door before pulling it open and finding that too was empty.

Where could she be?

He scratched his head, deciding to ask Train if he had any idea where the blonde might've gone so early in the morning. Walking towards the door, he grasped the knob and opened the door carelessly, gazing in uninterestedly before taking note of the abnormally large lump in his bed. Since the shades were closed, there was limited lighting, leaving Sven to march over to the bed with little more expectations other than finding a sleeping Train accompanied by fifty pillows.

Blonde hair was the first thing he saw.

Then dread was filling every inch of his body as he leaned in for a closer look, his inspection causing him to gasp and stumble back.

Eve was sleeping with Train. _Cuddling,_ even.

And with all the unpredictability a surrogate father could apprehend, Sven Vollified fainted on the spot.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - -

**A/N: **x3 I couldn't help myself. Every good pairing deserves a _one's sick, the other takes care of them _fic. And I just hadn't managed to find any for TrainxEve. I admit that though I had thought about adding a kiss in at some point in this story, near the end I just decided _to hell with it, I'll end it however I want to, _and the kiss never really had the time to make itself known. Let's just imply that they both like each other very much... very much so.

I love this pairing. Dedicated to the three or four shippers of it I've seen on the site, for they're dedicated and talented, even though I can't find the time to give out any more names than **Happy Happy Punk **and **xXTrainsCherryBlossomXx. **Thank you very much to the rest of you as well... you know who you are.

If you liked it, please review. If not, leave a comment telling me so. It took about a day and a half to write, I proofed it half-heartedly, and therefore won't be surprised if anyone discovers mistakes. Other than that, nothing more to say then _thank you, and good night._

-- monster mads !


End file.
